Adult basic education (ABE) programs in the United States serve millions of students annually to help them achieve high school equivalency, English proficiency, and other skills. These skills are necessary for upward mobility and competitiveness in the labor market, which is important for ABE students who are disproportionately affected by racial/ethnic disparities and poverty. Among learners who are not in ABE programs, substance use and trauma affect student outcomes. Similar research is limited among ABE students. Understanding the influence of these factors among ABE students can better inform interventions. The current study, grounded in Stress and Coping Theory, examined rates, risk factors, and gender differences for substance use and trauma among 286 ABE students. Results indicated that trauma is prevalent and associated with substance use, substance use suggests a need for brief counseling, and there were gender differences in substance use behaviors. Recommendations for interventions among ABE programs are discussed.

美国的成人基础教育 (ABE) 计划每年为数百万学生提供服务，帮助他们达到高中同等学历、英语水平和其他技能。这些技能对于劳动力市场的向上流动和竞争力是必要的，这对于受到种族/民族差异和贫困影响不成比例的 ABE 学生来说非常重要。在未参加 ABE 计划的学习者中，药物使用和创伤会影响学生的学习成果。类似的研究在 ABE 学生中是有限的。了解这些因素对 ABE 学生的影响可以更好地为干预措施提供信息。目前的研究以压力和应对理论为基础，检查了 286 名 ABE 学生的物质使用和创伤的比率、风险因素和性别差异。结果表明，创伤很普遍，并且与物质使用有关，物质使用表明需要进行简短的咨询，并且物质使用行为存在性别差异。讨论了 ABE 计划之间的干预建议。